I did a search and couldnt find anything, but if this is a repost i apologize.

I've been looking at the Springfield EMP for a little while now. Does anyone have any experience with this pistol? The pictures I've seen look like the grip is larger than most subcompact handguns. How does this gun score as far as concealment? Performance? Comfort? Thanks.

The EMP is one great handgun. You're right about the grip. It is bigger than the normal compact grip. It's almost a full size grip. It fit me perfectly but it's probably best to handle one before you buy. When I first got it I had to show it off to my shootin' buddies and everyone liked it and everyone commented on the nice feel of the grip. As for concealment again no problem I wore it with a Galco Paddle Slide (leather). Very comfortable to wear. As for the performance the EMP is very accurate at any distance. I was surprised and please since it has such a short barrel length. I found it to be very reliable also. Never had a problem with feeding etc. And it's "purrdy" too. Sweet!

I have a EMP also. Very Accurate & fun to shoot not to metion they look dead sexy. You cant go wrong with it. Mine will eat any ammo I put in it. Its the 1 gun in my collection I will never get rid of.

I' ve seen two EMP's in our local USPSA matches. the guys were newer shooters to uspsa but not shooting.

both did not run very well. very picky with ammo. ran ok on hardball ammo, but not hollowpoints. guns had many failure to extract and or go into battery. some of this might be due to the fact the guns weren't fully broken in yet.

I just ran 300 rdes og JHP through mine testerday without 1 single issue. I will say when I first got it with certain types of ammo the slide wouldnt lock back on the last round but I belive it was the ammo. 115 umc was the problem. Also my EMP likes to run wet.

I just ran 300 rdes og JHP through mine testerday without 1 single issue. I will say when I first got it with certain types of ammo the slide wouldnt lock back on the last round but I belive it was the ammo. 115 umc was the problem. Also my EMP likes to run wet.

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There are two things to stay away from:

A Springfield EMP

Putting 115gr UMC into an EMP

Because:

Once you get your EMP working reliably you will be obsessed with finding another to keep NIB on a shelf just in case you want to get a third, fourth, and so on until you own more than anyone else

115gr UMC is horribly underpowered compared to 115gr Winchester USA (aka WWB), and will not provide enough recoil to lock the slide back.

C5Racer99, where did you get the grips, and what size are the slide stop and safeties? Are those ambidextrous safeties?

When I initially contact him about making the grips I sent him some photos of a standard Officer sized grip sitting on the EMP and his response is below. He did a really good job on them. I don't recall what I paid but it wasn't much, much less than what Ajax Grips wanted for the same job. We've had them over a year with many rounds down the pipe, no issues.

"I think I can handle that, the grip thickness will still be close but deeper cut hole and shallower bushing reliefs will help this, can go a little thinner though, the way I cut the mag release relief is really close, all i have to do is come down about 1/8 to 3/16 of an inch and make it about standard notch width. Ican make sure the left grips dont cross the plunger tube more than 30 %."

I have fit other officer sized grips to this gun as well. The main difference, other than bushing size, is the location of the relief for the mag release. On the grips in the picture below I adjusted the cutout for the mag release by using a round file and it looked like they were made that way to begin with.

I'm thinking the slide stop and thumb safety are Wilson (I've been wrong before according to my wife), I took them from my spare parts box and they worked fine. There's nothing special about them as they are standard 1911 parts. The safety isn't ambi, but an ambi would work fine as long as the right grip is cut for it.

These are very hard to find these days. I was comparing the EMP and the Kimber Ultra CDP and I bought the EMP. I handled one in a shop on Tuesday and went back today and it was still there so I bought it.
Now I have to wait 10 days to pick it up. I can't wait.

These are very hard to find these days. I was comparing the EMP and the Kimber Ultra CDP and I bought the EMP. I handled one in a shop on Tuesday and went back today and it was still there so I bought it.
Now I have to wait 10 days to pick it up. I can't wait.

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congrats on a awesome gun. 10 day wait sux though. Is that a law or something?

I am thinking of buying an EMP and saw an article. Sorry I can't remember where on the web I found it. It was not a good review. The guy who bought it actually tested the gun at my local range. He was very experienced with 1911 overall but finally had to sell his EMP because of it's unreliability. Just did not feel confident for carry with the issues he was having FTE's and such. I would still like to own one but does worry me some that I might regret it. I have a XD 9 sub that shoots everytime and use for carry. But still would love to have the EMP also. Just a little concerned. I also have read that small 1911's should be avoided. Interested in what you guys have to say also.

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